Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC in Rome to Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia. It was likely the month of May by season. He is an only son but he had at least one sister named Julia. Romans like Cicero spell his name "CAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR", but was later known universally as just "CAESAR". Gaius was his personal name or praenomen. Julius was his last or surname. "Caesar" was his cognomen, a way of nicknaming his branch of the Julii family. Many Roman men had the same two first names and these names developed to distinguish them.

Contrary to popular myth Caesar's family was not rich or very influential. His family was one of the last recognized Patrician families, a handicap at this time. Power was in the descendants of the old Plebeian families who married into old Patrician ones and came to be known as the nobility. Caesar's family had this advantage as well, since his relatives married into powerful Plebeian families. Caesar's uncle, Gaius Marius, was the consul of 100 BC and the most powerful and famous man of the age. His wife Julia was the sister of Caesar's father. Another important uncle of Caesar was his mother's brother (or cousin) Gaius Aurelius Cotta. Caesar later claimed to be descendant of one of the Roman kings (Ancus Marcius) and the Goddess Venus.

In 91 BC, Sextus Julius Caesar is Consul. In 90 BC another relative, Lucius Julius Caesar was Consul when some Italian cities forced Rome to grant them citizenship in the Social War. His law the "Lex Julia" gave citizenship to every peaceful Italian south of the Po river. This war and various command positions led to the civil war and unrest of 88-82 BC. At this time little Julius is tutored by the teacher Marcus Antonius Gnipho.

After the Social War the consul-elect was Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He was a great general and was to be given an eastern command. However his old commander, Gaius Marius, stole it. So Sulla marched his army on Rome and drove out Marius, and the tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus was killed. Sulla was the first general to do this. In 87 BC he left for the east to fight Mithridates VI of Pontus. He would stay in the east until 83 BC. In 87 Marius returned from Africa and joined up with the exiled consul Lucius Cornelius Cinna to take Rome with an army of freed slaves from Tuscany. They sacked Ostia in the process and then took Rome. Marius was elected consul again (the 7th time) with Cinna. As part of the purge of thier enemies the consuls nominated young Caesar as Priest of Jupiter (Flamen Dialis) to replace Lucius Cornelius Merula. But Marius was now about 70 years old and certainly suffering from a mild case of insanity (Alzheimer's). He died on January 17, 86 BC (seventeenth day of his seventh consulship). Caesar may have been made Flamen Dialis at this time, but likely not for long. He certainly gave it up in late 82 or early 81 BC. The Flamen Dialis couldn't even touch metal or ride a horse.

Caesar's father died at Pisa while on military duty in 85/84 BC (in Caesar's 16th year, so he was 15). His father had not been a Consul but had been a Praetor. The young Caesar and his mother now likely lived with Gaius Aurelius Cotta, although they did have a house in the Suburba district of Rome. Caesar then (likely in 84 BC) broke a marriage engagement with the rich Cossituia and married Cornelia, daughter of the consul Cinna. Cinna died this year. Cossituia seems to have been the choice of Caesar's late father. Caesar loved Cornelia, and she had a large and useful dowry to go along with her.

Sulla, after he returned from the east, marched on Rome again. He won this civil war on November 1, 82 BC at battle of the Colline Gate at Rome. The next day he convened the Senate in the Campus Martius so that he would not lose his imperium (power to command) by crossing the Pomerium boundary into the city. He addressed the senators while his soldiers executed the remainder of the defeated Marian army. His position was made clear. Sulla soon became the first state sanctioned Dictator that ignored the traditional usage and circumstances and time limit. He was able to do this because in December both consuls were dead and the interrexes, substitute consuls for 5 days at a time, could be easily bullied into passing laws. Lucius Valerius Flaccus, the other consul when Caesar was born, passed a law (lex Valeria) that allowed Sulla to be elected Dictator to "re-establish" the state. To the victor goes the spoils even if it meant changing everything. Sulla was also given extraordinary powers covering justice, military, and government.

Sulla then orders Caesar to divorce his wife in December 82 BC or January 81 BC. Caesar refused. Sulla then proscribed him. He had to hide out in Rome and in the Sabine territory until his uncle Gaius Aurelius Cotta and other family friends convinced Sulla to let him go. He actually had to buy off a Roman captain who found him. Eventually Caesar is freed from pursuit and Sulla says:

"Very well, have it your way. But be warned, in this man I see many Mariuses."

Although he hadn't done anything threatening, Sulla clearly had some insight into what Caesar was capable of.

In 81 BC Caesar leaves Italy to join the army in the province of Asia (western Turkey, Greek Ionia) under Marcus Thermus. He brought back an amount of ships from king Nicomedes IV of Bithynia, but stayed at the court so long that he is said to be a homosexual with the king, and due to his quick return to Bithynia. This accusation would be a smear on Caesar for the rest of his life.

This year Sulla carried out his proscriptions against his enemies and those of his supporters. This gave them great wealth and property. The richest to emerge from this Marcus Licinius Crassus. The proscriptions effected 4,700 people, lasting to the first day of June.

In 80 BC Caesar participated in the siege of Mytilene where he is awarded the "Civic crown" (Corona Civica) for saving a Roman citizen. It is the highest award for any Roman Citizen! Caesar may also have been given the right to sit in the Senate early due to this. In 79 BC Caesar served in Cilicia (southeast Turkey) under Servilius Isauricus.

In the spring of 78 BC Sulla died of a strange illness that involved lice. On his monument in the Campus Martius it says: Sulla did more good than all his friends, and had done more bad than all his enemies. Caesar then returns to Rome to profit in a counter-revolution which Marcus Lepidus lead. He gives Caesar good promises but Caesar decided to stay out of the troubles. It was a good thing he did, Lepidus lost.

In 77 BC Caesar enters politics the conventional way as a lawyer when he prosecuted the corrupt Gnaeus Cornelius Dollabella, a consular and former lieutenant of Sulla. Caesar lost the case but he was seen as the new rising star. Cicero would later say, "does anyone have the ability to speak better than Caesar". In 76 BC Caesar tried again when he prosecuted Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Antonius was forced to bribe his way out of the charges by buying the veto power of the Tribunes of the Plebs.

After December 21 Caesar left for Rhodes to study Oratory under Apollonius Molon. He needed to brush up on his public abilities in order to climb the "Cursus Honorum", the political ladder. Pirates near the island of Pharmacussa captured him and held him for ransom in January or February of 75 BC. He is held for 38 days. They set his ransom at 20 talents but Caesar demands he's worth 50 talents. Caesar spent this time writing. His men collect the money from Miletus and Caesar went free. He said he would come back and crucify the pirates. They laugh at him now, but they dind't when he returns with a hired fleet from Miletus and captures them. Taking them to Pergamus Caesar meets with the governor of Asia, Junius. Junius made no decision about punishment so Caesar himself had the pirates crucified. He cut their throats because they treated him well and it was a quicker death. This was a sign of how Caesar would later deal with his enemies. Although crucifixion isn't nice, Caesar abhorred cruelty. He continued onto Rhodes. Plutarch and Suetonius give different dates for these events.

In 74 BC, using the captured treasure from the previous year, Caesar raises an army of provincial soldiers to defeat the prefect and vanguard of Mithridates VI at the start of the Third Mithridatic War. In this year Lucius Licinius Lucullus was consul and would later lead this war. These two acts of commanding troops by Caesar was technically illegal, but since he was aiding the state no charges were brought against him. Next in 73 BC Caesar was made a member or "Pontifex" of the ecclesiastical college of Pontifices.

Caesar returns to Rome and is elected Military Tribune by the people. He aids others in overthrowing Sulla's old constitution that limited the powers of the Tribunes of the Plebs. This term was likely in 72 BC. Being a Tribune and former combat veteran he probably had a small part in the Third Servile War against Spartacus from 73 to 71 BC. In these years we hear nearly nothing about Caesar. In 70 BC Caesar is elected Quaestor, his term beginning on December 5. This more likely October by the later Julian Calendar.

In 69 BC, as Quaestor, Caesar's wife Cornelia and his aunt Julia (widow of Gaius Marius) died. This gave him an extraordinary opportunity. He could praise these two long dead men publicly by breaking the long held tradition that young women could not have a public funeral (laudatio). At the funeral of Julia (the better known) on the raised section of the forum; the Rostra, he praised Marius and Cinna to the delight of the commoners. He made his pro Marius position clear. Here is when he recited his lineage. Through his aunt Julia's mother, to the king Ancus Marcius, and through his own family, the Julii, to Venus. The Optimates (republican conservatives) were not impressed. Julia died first, Cornelia later in the year. Caesar and Cornelia had one daughter also named Julia.

Caesar served his Quaestorship for 69 BC in Hispania Ulterior or "Further Spain", today's Andalusia and Portugal. He served under the Praetor and Governor Antistius Vetius. If Caesar didn't have a seat in the Senate before now, this position assured he did.

Also in 69 BC at the age of 31 he saw a statue of Alexander the Great of Macedonia in the temple of Hercules in modern Cadiz. He either sighed very sadly or cried a little. When asked why he says:

"Do you think I have not just cause to weep, when I consider that Alexander at my age had conquered so many nations, and I have all this time done nothing that is memorable."

Caesar was allowed to return to Rome early, probably due to his emotionally unstable state (his wife who he had loved deeply was dead for a year now). He returns towards Rome in 68 BC and listed to the complaints of the leaders of Cisalpine Gaul about not having citizenship. He encourages them to revolt but the legions for the Cicilian wars are in the area. Caesar was charged with treason but was not convicted.

One of the problems with the dating of Caesar's life is the statue incident in Spain. Plutarch and Suetonius say the same things but at different times. Suetonius said it was during his Quaestorship in 69 BC, which is obvious. Plutarch mentions it in the description of Caesar's later governorship. He was a finance official in 69 and he was in the Temple of Hercules in Gades (Cadiz) on a boring job and he was probably reading about Alexander when he saw the statue in the temple and the incident occurred. Caesar turned 31 on July 13, 69 BC, almost the same age when Alexander died at the height of his career on June 11, 323 BC.

In 67 BC Caesar married for the 2nd time. He married Pompeia, Sulla's granddaughter and daughter of the consul in 88 BC Quintus Pompeius Rufus. This was odd since Caesar would later ally with the son of the man who killed the father of his new wife. Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus's father, had killed Pompeia's father. Caesar supports Pompey in the "Lex Gabinia", a motion proposed by the tribune Aulus Gabinius. Mediterranean pirates who had run the waters ragged for 30 years, are in 67 BC annihilated in only 40 days. In 66 BC Caesar supports the further grant of the "Lex Manillia", to conquer and reorganize the entire eastern Mediterranean world except Egypt. It was Pompey's only real lasting success.

Caesar served as surveyor or Curator of the Appian Way in 67 or 66 BC. The upkeep of such an important route was a great way to be noticed by regular people.

Caesar was elected Curule Aedile in 65 BC. He uses vast sums of money loaned to him by Crassus to stage games for the Roman people. Crassus loaned new politicians vast sums of money. Caesar put on 320 single combats this year (640 Gladiators). Laws were soon passed so no one could have that many gladiators in Rome at one time again. He also builds replicas of Marius' war monuments in the forum. They were put up at night so the surprise would be public. This outraged the Optimates, the Sullan supporters. But Caesar was so popular that they couldn't touch him. He also earned the scorn of his co-Aedile, Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, who said that Caesar received all the glory for "their" accomplishments. In 65 or 64 BC Caesar was probably nominated to take charge of Egypt, which was in revolution and an ally. In 64 one of Caesar's distant relatives is consul.

In 63 BC Caesar's debts were enormous and he further bribed his way to be elected "Pontifex Maximus" when the current Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), Caecilius Metellus Pius, died. He ran against Servilius Isauricus, consul of 79 and Quintus Lutatius Catulus, consul of 78. On the day of the election Caesar's mother gave him a good luck kiss. He said to her: "My mother, today you will see me either high priest or an exile", since his credit was deplorable. Caesar won the election and it gave him the highest religious power. He was responsible for the calendar now. Later in 63 he was elected as a Praetor for the next year: 62 BC.

63 BC was the year the Republic was rocked by the Catiline conspiracy. This was the idea to overthrow the corrupting republic by armed force. Lucius Sergius Catilina, a consul candidate for 63 and 62 BC, led it. In 63 Cicero was consul. Catiline wanted to be elected without bribery, impossible at this time. Cicero was kept well informed of the plot but it was not critical until late September. After the consular elections for 62 BC, around July, Crassus was delivered an anonymous letter that told him to leave the city. He later gave the letter to Cicero. It told of a plot against all government leaders. The massacre of Cicero and senators never happened. The writer of the letter was never found.

Meanwhile, on September 23 on the east end of the Palatine hill, the future emperor Augustus is born. His birth name is Gaius Octavius. A shrine was later put there. His mother is Atia, daughter of Caesar's sister Julia. He is therefore Caesar's great-nephew. He is given the cognomen Thurinus as a child, and later by Mark Antony, but would never use this name. His father's name also is Gaius Octavius, who was a Praetor from Velitrae and served as governor of Macedonia. He dies when his son is 4, in 58 BC at his home in Nola. If he lived he would certainly have been consul and a help to his mother-in-law's brother, Gaius Julius Caesar.

Cicero was convinced that Catiline was behind the plot, but many senators disbelieved it. Some thought it was all Cicero's idea. In fact anti-government protest was growing due to the failure of small farms in Etruria. They couldn't compete with huge slave operated estates owned by aristocrats. Former Sullan army members were gathering arms. News reached Rome that revolt would begin on October 27. On October 21 Cicero denounced Catiline as a traitor and got a declaration of martial law passed. Catiline fled Rome by November 8, after an attempt on Cicero's life failed the day before. He joined the soldiers in Etruria. In late November Catiline's supporters in Rome approached the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe from Gallia Narbonensis. They wanted them for military support. The tribe revealed the plot to their patron Fabius Sanga. He told Cicero, who used the tribesmen to get the conspirators to send documents to them. On the night of December 3, as the tribal leaders were leaving Rome, they were stopped and a conspirator was among them. Documents were seized proving the conspiracy beyond any doubt. Other members were then arrested. On December 5 the Senate met to decide their fate. The first suggestion is of course death. But when Caesar speaks he proposes the unheard of penalty of life imprisonment. This could indicate that Caesar was previously involved in the conspiracy, and was hoping for future pardon of the guilty. The idea holds up until Marcus Porcius Cato, soon to be Tribune of the Plebs (he would enter office 5 days later) and great grandson of the man who demanded the destruction of Carthage in his speeches (Cato the Elder), convinced the senate that the death penalty should be upheld. The motion carries and the conspirators are taken to the Mammertine prison and strangled that night. So ended the political problem. Catiline and his allies are defeated trying to reach Gaul in January of 62. So it all ended. It is quite possible that both Caesar and Crassus were implicated in this plot, but they seemed to gave up the conspiracy early since it was Crassus who gave the first real alert to Cicero.

In 62 BC Caesar served his term as Praetor, a kind of vice-consul and judge. Caesar on the first day of his praetorship asked for an account to be given to the people on the cost of restoring the capitol. He was unsuccessful. Later he was removed from office when he was involved with Caecilius Metellus Nepos. Nepos supported Pompey who was about to return to Rome. Caesar also supported Pompey. Nepos wanted Pompey to land in Italy to "restore order". In the uproar martial law was passed again and Caesar was suspended as Praetor. He gave up the idea and was allowed to return to duty. Nepos fled to Pompey.

On December 3, 62 BC, the scandal of the century occurred in Caesar's house. At the Bona Dea festival, an event held annually by the wife of the Pontifex Maximus, didn't go well. At the women only event Publius Clodius Pulcher, the son of Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul of 79 BC), was said to be dressed as a woman in Caesar's house. Word leaked out and the scandal roared like fire. It seems that Pompeia was involved and Caesar stayed out of site. Cicero took interest and prosecuted Clodius the next year unsuccessfully due to bribery. Clodius would wait for revenge on Cicero. It seems that he did invade Caesar's house. Caesar's mother Aurelia seems to have been the one who spotted him. He was dressed as a harper. He either wanted to "visit" Pompeia, or perhaps one of the six Vestal Virgins.

At the same time (mid-December 62), Pompey landed in Brundisium and disbanded most of his army. Crassus had fled the city but soon returned to oppose Pompey. Pompey didn't want to side with any extreme groups in the senate, he just wanted to rule as dictator, but in no reign of terror. He was not to have help since Caesar was about to leave Rome. Caesar by now had divorced Pompeia. He didn't hate her but his mother and sister and he himself had to testify at Clodius' trial. Caesar gave no damning evidence against Clodius, which seemed odd for a man who divorced his wife over this. Caesar would say about his divorce, showing his self-serving side:

"Because I maintain that the members of my family should be free from suspicion, as well as from accusation."

Caesar also was assigned to govern further Spain. His title was "Proconsul" although he served in a position that earlier was called a "Propraetor". Caesar had only been a Praetor in the city, not in the field.

In 61 BC Caesar served as Proconsul (governor) in his old province of Further Spain. His Quaestor was Antistius Vetius, the son of Caesar's old governor of 69 BC. Before he left Rome, actually fleeing before ratification of his new office passed, he got Crassus to pay off a quarter of his debts since Caesar now had no armed troops. The amount was 830 talents. Caesar was in debt about 20 million Dinarii (3320 talents). He reached the Rhone in only 8 days on horseback. Later when he is passing through a barbarian village where the people are wretched, his companions make fun of the villages but Caesar replies to them:

"For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome."

For most of 61 and the start of 60 BC he was governor and led very successful military campaigns against the tribes of Calaici and Lusitani and conquered them. He advanced as far as the Atlantic Ocean and subdued tribes in the northwest which never before had been subject to the Romans. The booty from these victories paid off all of Caesar's debts, made him and his soldiers rich and left an amount for the treasury in Rome. His men hailed him as Imperator. He also helped secure peace on the Gallic border on his trip back.

In 60 BC Caesar wanted to run for the consulship and hold a triumph. To do this he faced problems. He left Spain too early, even before his replacement had arrived. All commanders must wait outside the city of Rome for the Senate's answer to hold a triumph. But to stand for the consulship he must be in the city. Most triumphs took place in autumn or later (after the elections). Pompey's triumph for his eastern campaigns took place on September 28-29, 61 BC, his 45th birthday. But elections for Consuls of 59 BC took place in late July or August 60 BC. Caesar realized that running for the consulship would benefit him better. Pompey had wasted the last 2 1/2 years trying to lobby the senate for land for his troops, partly due to Crassus. So running for the consulship was the better idea. Caesar easily won the election, partly by siding with a former candidate and new friend Lucius Lucceius, but mostly from the support of Pompey and Crassus. Pompey owed Caesar this supportand and he needed him. The patching up of Crassus and Pompey this year before the election was one of Caesar's great political achievements. This was not a legal pact to run the government but a coalition of "influence" to force actions by the state. It was done mostly through bribery and threat of violence. Caesar being consul in 59 also helped of course.

The pact formed in June or July and sealed in December of 60 BC was to be known for all time as the "First Triumvirate".

Still Cato and the rest of the Optimates did all they could to secure the second consulship for Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, Caesar's former co-Aedile and now their new front man. The consuls-elect were given the forests and cattle trails in Italy as thier province, known as "Calles Silvaeque Italiae". This was meant to keep Caesar away from military activity in the next year.

On January 1, 59 BC Caesar at 40 entered office as Consul of the republic of Rome. He was 2 years younger than was normally allowed leading to confusion of his age. It appears that this problem was overlooked early on, each office he had was 2 years in advance of the normal legal age. It seems that since Caesar was a Civic crown winner he was allowed this. This may be why no special measure was passed to allow Caesar to hold offices early, which certainly would have been mentioned.

Both Plutarch and Suetonius say that Caesar died "in" his 56th year. On July 13, 44 BC he would have turned 56, thus completing 56 years of life. Since the Romans almost always counted like this, he was born in 100 BC with absolute certainty!

The year of 59 BC was the year that anyone who opposed Caesar realized that they would not be around long. Above all else it was the consul Bibulus who suffered. Although he was consul for the Optimates the real leader was still Marcus Porcius Cato, the ultra-conservative.

As consul Caesar's first act was to pass a law that called for the records of all debates and procedures of the government to be published. His next act was to bring forward the agrarian bill that Pompey wanted for his soldiers. In this law he carefully developed it so the senate couldn't oppose it. He did this by offering debate and said he would delete any disliked part. The bill would not upset land in Campania but restore wasteland in Italy. Also Caesar could not benefit himself from this bill. As well it would put homeless people from the city streets on farms where they wouldn't riot. But still Cato opposed it simply because it was Caesar's idea. Eventually Caesar lost patience and had Cato arrested. The senate however would often meet near the prison so Cato could take part in debate. Caesar, disgusted, released him and went straight to the people.

In the forum Caesar asked for Bibulus to speak his opinion on the bill. He had nothing to offer and Caesar then forced him to speak to the people. Bibulus says: "You won't get this law this year, not even if you all want it". Caesar then led Pompey and Crassus to the rostra. Pompey words of support made clear what was happening. Even more was that Crassus spoke in favor of the bill. Bibulus tried to stop the vote by proclaming omens and holidays. Caesar went ahead with the voting. The optimates and Bibulus went to the temple of Castor to stop him. When Bibulus tried to veto the vote, the crowd threw a basket of dung on his head. The optimates were driven away and the law passed. The day after Bibulus tried to have martial law declared. He failed. In fact the optimates were forced to uphold the law. A victory for Caesar. Bibulus retired to his house in disgrace, so Caesar was in all but name the sole Consul. The people joked of reffering to the year as that of "Julius and Caesar". Later in the year another law was passed because there wasn't enough available land. The new lands were in Campania.

After the land settlement fiasco, which was in March, Caesar brought no more measures to the senate. His proposals went straight to the "People's Assembly". This was the normal practice of course. The Senate never had its own legal power at any time but its wishes were so influential that most men did what it wanted. Pompey's eastern settlements and Crassus' tax proposals were passed by the people. Caesar also enacted laws that made sure that provincial governors were more responsible with their duties.

Caesar also secured his future in late March or so. With the support of the Tribune Publius Vatinius he was given the "Proconsulship" of Cisalpine Gaul (north of the Rubicon river) and Illyricum (north-east Adriatic coast), for five years. It was called the "Lex Vatinia". Next month in April the Proconsul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, Consul of 60 BC and now governor of Transalpine Gaul or "Gallia Narbonensis" (southern France) died. Caesar was allotted this province too. The term was to run until March 1, 54 BC, February 28 was to be his last day.

Caesar now solidified his alliance with Pompey by marrying his daughter Julia to Pompey in May. Pompey was older than his new wife's father by six years. Pompey was 46, she was probably 24! Never the less they did love each other. Julia would later die in childbirth in 54 BC. Caesar also got himself a new wife, Calpurnia, the daughter of a leading popular party official Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. He would replace Caesar as consul in 58 BC. Caesar would stay married to Calpurnia until he died, but would not stay faithful by a long shot. One reason was that Calpurnia was barren. It is said he seduced Pompey's earlier wife Mucia, and Crassus' wife Tertulla.

Here we can imagine Caesar the man. Many times this is overlooked in opposition to the deeds of Caesar. He was small by our standards, only about 5'7". He was slightly built but kept in shape. He had dark brown eyes and soft and white skin. His face was nearly full and he kept it clean-shaven throughout his life. He was balding prematurely and was sensitive when people commented about it. He liked to wear a tunic with a fringed sleeve. He suffered from headaches and nightmares, but his most serious illness was epilepsy, known then as the "falling sickness." However Caesar was a remarkably healthy man. The main reason for this was that he drank very little wine and was not drunk all the time. This is a likely reason for his successes. He could think clearly when necessary. Caesar was also a self-serving man. He used opportunity to the fullest. Such self-confidence and charisma made Caesar a natural leader.

So then continued 59 BC. Caesar had his support, power, future, and popularity. But as soon as he left office on December 29 (December had only 29 days at this time) the Senate could have his head, until he got to his provinces.